Ceiling fastening options and long term results

[Rovobay]

Life has been busy and I haven't had much time to work on the bus but I am getting closer to installing my roof. I have seen a million posts of completed roofs but I want to hear about real life results. I plan on driving my bus down forest service roads, gravel roads, etc. and I want to know what methods have been successful or have failed.

I see beautiful tongue and groove ceilings, but all the twisting and bending, have the boards ever popped off? same with a thin veneer roof that is stapled to some ribs. I guess my point is I don't want to over engineer or have to come back and do something over again. Just wanted to reach out to the veterans and get real life results!

My initial plan for my roof is a veneer ceiling stapled to some 1x4 furring strips that are mounted lengthwise down the bus. prior to mounting the furring strips I will put a piece of sill tape over the rib to create a vapor bridge to cut down on condensation. What amount of width is sufficient between the ribs to secure the ceiling? 24"?

Thank you in advance for your tips!

[2martins]

Originally Posted by Rovobay

Life has been busy and I haven't had much time to work on the bus but I am getting closer to installing my roof. I have seen a million posts of completed roofs but I want to hear about real life results. I plan on driving my bus down forest service roads, gravel roads, etc. and I want to know what methods have been successful or have failed.

I see beautiful tongue and groove ceilings, but all the twisting and bending, have the boards ever popped off? same with a thin veneer roof that is stapled to some ribs. I guess my point is I don't want to over engineer or have to come back and do something over again. Just wanted to reach out to the veterans and get real life results!

My initial plan for my roof is a veneer ceiling stapled to some 1x4 furring strips that are mounted lengthwise down the bus. prior to mounting the furring strips I will put a piece of sill tape over the rib to create a vapor bridge to cut down on condensation. What amount of width is sufficient between the ribs to secure the ceiling? 24"?

Thank you in advance for your tips!

This is my rough plan also. I think I planned for 4 furring strips under the center which is less than 24" as I will also have wood (maybe thicker than furring strips) under the ends of the ceiling. I am thinking of pressure fitting the wood into place and steaming it so that I don't really need fasteners. Depending on how the seams look I may put some kind of trim over the seams.

[jjhwick119]

following. I was planning on just screwing my 1/8" sheets up to my furring strips, but im considering going another route on the roof. Was wondering how the air nailed tongue and groove roofs did over time with a bouncy bus.

[plfking]

Originally Posted by Rovobay

Life has been busy and I haven't had much time to work on the bus but I am getting closer to installing my roof. I have seen a million posts of completed roofs but I want to hear about real life results. I plan on driving my bus down forest service roads, gravel roads, etc. and I want to know what methods have been successful or have failed.

I'm planning on a lot of forestry service roads also, and building accordingly.

When I get to the point of ceiling installation, I'm going to try a drop-down ceiling kind of thing......either wood- or stone-look linoleum, which will be suspended atop something I saw at Lowes (don't know what it's called-- a white or brown rubbery-feeling molding about 4" wide, 1/4" thick, and very flexible). I'll screw the molding to the 2" ribs, which will leave about 1" of molding outboard on each side, then cut the linoleum to be able to slide in and sit on top of the molding without actually fastening it.....should handle any body-flexing with ease. And the linoleum will easily bend enough to follow the roof curve as the roof top transitions into the wall sides.

The only drawback I can see is that the linoleum square may sag over a 24" span, but in that case I'll just glue a furring strip to the hidden side for extra rigidity.

[Rovobay]

lots of members curious, still waiting for some veterans to chime in.... I went ahead and bought 1x4in furring strips hope I am on the right track

[2martins]

Originally Posted by Rovobay

lots of members curious, still waiting for some veterans to chime in.... I went ahead and bought 1x4in furring strips hope I am on the right track

I test pressure fit a skinny piece from a construction dumpster and I could not get it out and it was hard to get it out with another person. If you have the bottom edges supported so that that the 4x8 board is curved up hard against the ceiling or is NOT going to sag. Once it's spent some time bent that way it's going to stay bent that way, too.

[Ninjakitty]

I'm going to go with tongue and groove boards. My ceiling will be white so I plan on using preprimed boards, is a counter sink bit, and then going back with filler on the screw holes. I'm using 2x2 attached to the side of the ribs with wood to metal self tapping screws.

Still some adjustments to be made on the ribs in this pic. I'll update when all of them are in.